Greenhouse bench



Aug. 18, 192'5.

. C. C. SA NDERS GREENHUSE BENCH Filed April 23 1923 Patented fang. i8, 1925.

unirse sr Y llllft CAREWC. SANDERS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

G'REENI-IOSE BENCH.

Application filed April 23, 1923.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, @Anniv C. iannnns, a citizen of the United States, and resident the city of St. Louis, and State of Missou "i, have invented certain new and useful lmproveinents in Greenhouse Benches, of which the following is a specification containing a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to improveniients in greenhouse benches and has for its primary7 object a greenhouse bench, the legs of which are provided With roller supports for the steam pipes so that the expansion and contraction of the pipes can be readily taken care of Without the danger of breaking the connection.

A further object is to construct a greenhouse bench, the legs of which are formed preferably from cement or concrete, and in Which the sides of the bench are braced in a cheap and effective manner against bulging when the bench is filled With earth.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a portion of the bench embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectioniof the same,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmental section showing the'manner of bracing the sides;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmental section showing the manner of supporting the steam pipes, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmental vievv of the upper end of one of the legs.

ln the construction of my device l employ a plurality of legs or "supports 6. rFliese supports are preferably made of concrete or cement. ll`he supports have extending en-` tirely therethrough, tubes or pipes 7, these acting as bearings or sockets for the sup porting rods 8. The sockets 7 are spaced apart vertically, as illustrated in Fig. l, the purpose of which will be explained in detail later. Nhile the supports 8 may be either tubular as shown in Fig. 4 or they may be solid cylindrical bars, the tubes how ever, are preferable. The legs 6 are provided on their lovver ends with bases 9, which are enlarged so as to give the leg a firm foundation, and the upper ends of the legs are provided vvith grooves l0 in Which sleepers ll are located. Resting on the sleepers 1l are cross bars 12, which support the bed 13 of the bench. Secured along the edges and Serial No. 634,056.

ends of the bench are boards 14 which act as sides, and when in position, form a bob: open onA its top for the reception of earth. The sides and ends 14 are braced by means ol" cleats l5 which are secured to the inside of the sides 14 and to the outside of 'the sleeper ll by any suitable fastening means, such as nails. rllie purpose of these cleats is to prevent the sides from bulging When the bench is filled with earth. ln this connection, it Will be noted from F ig. 3 thatl the boards forming the bottom of the bench adjacent the sides 14 are provided With cut away portions 16 so as to permit the cleat to pass therethrough.

Resting on the supports 8 is a heating coil 17. This heating coil is preferably heated by steam, although hot Water may be used.

The purpose of the recess l0 is to prevent the legs 6 from shifting laterally as Welllas to prevent any tendency of the bench from shifting on the legs. This of course is only' liable to happen before the bench is loaded With earth, since the Weight of the earth in the bench would naturally obviate this tendency.

In most greenhouses, the floor thereof is lovver at one end than the other so as to provide drainage and Where this is the case, the supports 8 may be inserted, as illustrated in Fig. l, or in other Words, in the same row of sockets for the full length of the bench. the inclination of the floor providing the proper drainage for condensation in the pipes. lVhere the floor is level, hovvever, the supports are gradually lovvered by placing` them in different sockets so that the pipes 17 can drain and prevent the accumulation of condensation. If found desirable, the legs 6 may be formed of other material than cement and provided with sockets and thus accomplish my purpose.

By providing a roller support for the steam pipes, breakage is obviated, because I have found, by practical experience, that in installing steam pipes in greenhouses and supporting same so that they are not free to move longitudinally and take care of the expansion and contraction due to variation in temperature, a great deal of expense Was involved in keeping the heating plant in repair, on account of the breakage of joints and elbows. By the use of my improvement, expansion and contraction is readily taken care of and no breakage results due to undue strain set up on the heating coils through expansion and contraction, as would be the case where the pipes are secured in hangers or rest on nonsrotating supports.

By use of the cleats l5 I am enabled to keep the floor ot' the `greenhouse clean and prevent any spilling ot the earth due to the bulging ot' the sides.

I am aware that iron brackets have been used to prevent the bulging ot the sides, but this is expensive and turthermore, makes it extremely hard to tear down a bench, because these brackets must be secured by means of screws which rust through contact with the damp earth and thus render it practically impossible to remove them. rl`he brackets also rust and Ybreak when attempting to pry them loose. lith my improveu ment the cost is so small that 'the cleats can be thrown away with the remainder ot the lumber used in the construction ot the bench when it is necessary to renew the same.

The legs or supports G are preferably monolithic structures and have the bases 9 sulliciently large so that they will stand solidly and thus obviate the necessity oi' tie rods. lt is of course, essential that the legs on the opposite sides ot the benches be lined up so that the supports 8 can lit in the bearings 7 and rotate freely therein. lt an extremely fide bench is to be built, an extra row ot supports and an extra. sleeper ll is extended along the center ot the bench so as to form a central support.

By my construction a greenhouse bench can be very readily assembled or taken down and no complicated system o't pipe fitting or adjustment ot tie rods, etc., is necessary. rlhe roller supports 8 can also be readily replaced when necessary by merely jacking up the heating coil 17 adjacent the roller supports to be replaced, after which the support can be. readily slipped out ot the leg and a new one inserted.

lt is also possible to oil the supports or rather the ends which rest in the bearings 7. This oiling not alone permits the roller supports to turn readily, but will also assist in preventing them Yfrom rusting due to any moisture which may creep from the bench along the leg. It' found desirable, the

grooves l() may be omitted and the top ot the leg lett flat.

By my construction benches of any length or width can bc readily built and require only the use of a hammer and saw, and no extra labor is required as is the case where pipe trames are used to support the bench.

l may also it desired, use a short pipe or rod for the roller support and allow it to project on both sides o't' the leg, and when arranging the heating coils, position them so that they will be located on each side ot the leg. ln this way I am enabled to reduce the length. of the roller supports and thus cheapen the construction and at the same time accomplish all of the purposes ot my invention.

Having fully described my invention what l claim is l. A greenhouse bench comprising a plurality of monolithic legs, bearings molded in said legs, a bench supported by said legs, roller supports mounted in some of said bearings and extending laterally under said bench, and a heating coil supported on the roller supports.

2. It greenhouse bench comprising a plurality oi'f monolithic legs, a bed carried by said legs, vertically spaced apart bearings, moulded in said legs, roller supports carried by certain ot said bearings, and a heating coil carried by said roller supports.

il. greenhouse bench coniprising a plu rality ot monolithic legs each having an enlarged base and a grooved upper end, a bench resting in said grooves, bearings vertically spaced apart extending through and moulded in said legs, roller supports extendla erally below said bench carried by s me ol'v said hearings. and a heating coil f-:upportcd on said roller supports.

l. A. greenhouse bench comprising a plurality ot concrete legs, a bench carried by said legs, vertically spaced apart bearings moulded in said legs, roller supports located in some ol said bearings, and a heating coil resting on said roller supports.

ln testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specication.

CAREV C. SANDERS. 

